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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

U.S., Canada Ready To Fight For Hockey Gold Keen Rivals Put Quest For Medals Far Above Friendship

For women’s hockey, first came the message games and now come the medal games.

There are no secrets left among the final four teams in the first-ever Olympic women’s tournament where Canada and the United States, who delight in beating each other up, play for the gold medal early Tuesday morning (1 a.m. PST) after Finland faces China for the bronze.

And just in case somebody somehow missed something, the four teams had one last chance to scout each other face-to-face on Saturday, an unusual dress rehearsal for the real thing.

Finland defeated China 6-1 and then the Americans scored six goals in the last 13 minutes to wipe out a 4-1 deficit and beat Canada 7-4. In a consolation game, Sweden won for the first time in the tournament, shutting out Japan 5-0.

The women’s gold medal game between Canada and the United States will be shown on tape Tuesday at 7 a.m. PST.

With nothing much at stake except their psyches, the Americans and Canadians beat each other up Saturday night. There were 20 penalties called for such unladylike behavior as slashing, high-sticking and roughing. Victoria Movsessian took a double minor for a stick to the throat and Angela Ruggiero took a 10-minute misconduct.

“If a team or two teams take that many penalties, somebody’s losing their composure,” Canadian coach Shannon Miller said. “There’s an intense dislike, an intense rivalry.”

“These teams push the envelope,” U.S. coach Ben Smith said. “They play by the rules. If they don’t, the (referee’s) arm should go up.”

And it frequently did. Seven of the 11 goals came on power plays.

So what did the rugged warmup prove?

“Right now, I strongly believe we are a better team,” American A.J. Mleckzo said. “I think that we play as a team better.”

U.S. captain Cammy Granato, who scored two goals, thought the Americans’ message had been delivered. “We have so much confidence in ourselves,” she said. “I think they’re intimidated by our confidence.”

And the tough stuff?

“That’s the way we play,” Granato said, “and obviously, it’s the way they play.”

Saturday’s game was the 14th between the teams since last October. Each has won seven. Canada also has swept all four meetings in the world championships since 1990. The most recent was a 4-3 Canadian victory in overtime last April - one of eight one-goal games the two rivals have played.

“We’re not really friends,” Mleckzo said. “I know we respect them and they respect us. When this is over, I doubt very much that we will become friends. There is a lot of smack talking.”